The Prince Albert Downtown Business Improvement District (PADBID) has plans under way for the return of the annual Street Fair for the first time since 2019.
PADBID co-executive director Rhonda Trusty said the event is planned for June 18 during the Father’s Day weekend, however the size has yet to be determined.
“Right now we are in the process of looking for some sponsorship,” Trusty said. “That always dictates how many events you can have. Then (it’s) lining up some past participants that we have had and encouraging the vendors and food trucks to come on out.
“A lot of children haven’t had the opportunity to have some of those free activities. For families themselves just to have an atmosphere of fun, that is what we are aiming for.”
The Street Fair has been on hiatus for the last two years due to COVID-19. The event was outright cancelled in 2020, while PADBID hosted a scaled-down street sale version of the fair without the usual performers or festivities in 2021.
“There has been a hiatus for sure for the last two years but that’s why we are pretty excited about it,” Trusty said. “The board was really unsure if they should go ahead, but the provincial government lifted restrictions, and when we had our board meeting at the end of January we got direction to go ahead and start planning.
“Our predecessor Carolyn Carleton I think had started the planning for the 2020 and then of course with provincial restrictions coming into place they had to shut it down just like so many of our other community events,” she added.
Trusty explained that next week she will begin getting application forms ready. There are still a number of health-related issues that need to be settled before they can host the event.
“Because of our food vendors we have to also be in concert with the health inspectors,” she explained. “I was in contact with them and so we are good to go.”
Trusty added that she hopes to generate some sponsorship and some excitement around the return.
“Sponsorship is key,” she said. “You need to have somebody—a few major sponsors to be able to fund some of these—because the Street Fair itself is free but of course nothing is free behind the scenes. We do end up having to pay for the entertainment and for the stage equipment, and none of this stuff is cheap.”
If anyone is interested in becoming a sponsor or a vendor can contact PADBID.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
